Playground Safety Starts from the Ground Up
from the Times-Picuayune
 When surgeon and safety expert Barbara Barlow started building public playgrounds in Harlem in the early 1990s, childhood injuries declined by more than 50 percent. Not because the new equipment was safer -- though it was -- but because it simply gave neighborhood kids a place to play. As executive director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, Barlow now helps build playgrounds nationwide. More
Brooksville, Fla., Program Feels Like Fun, but It's Exercise for Kids
from the St. Petersburg Times
According to the Hernando County, Fla., Health Department, nearly 40 percent of Hernando County sixth-grade students are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Mike Walker wants to do something about it. About a year ago, Walker started searching for a solution — a perfect blend of technology and fitness, something kids would go for. More
Colorado City Offers Inexpensive, Interactive Family Fun
from the Parker Chronicle
Here’s something you can spend your loose change on that will not only increase your family time, but also your educational and entertainment senses: The City and South Suburban Parks and Recreation Passport to Culture. It is a unique program for the community of Lone Tree, Colo., that offers high quality and diverse productions on the third Sunday of every month at the Lone Tree Recreation Center. More
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 Sof’Shield Outdoor offers superior fall height protection, low maintenance, long wear and accessibility. This innovative unitary surface combines colorful, flexible wear layer mats with a recycled underlayment to create a soft, yet durable unitary surface that provides up to 10 feet of fall height protection and is fully warranted for 6 years. More info
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North Carolina Kids Get Their Game on to Battle Obesity
from the Asheville Citizen Times
The center court at the Blue Ridge Mall was a whirling dervish of activity Saturday as dozens of children jumped, bounced, danced, hula-hooped, hopscotched and otherwise moved their bodies as part of Be Active Day, the kickoff event for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Demonstration Project in Henderson County, N.C. Henderson County was one of five counties in North Carolina chosen to implement a comprehensive program to address childhood obesity. More
Volunteer has Kept Ball Rolling for Soccer Group for Two Decades
from My FOX Houston
Wheelchair rugby was one of more than a dozen adaptive sports showcased at the Metal and Muscle Expo, sponsored by the Houston Parks and recreation Department and U.S Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Tim Jones, a quadriplegic who was injured serving the nation in a fall off an F-18 fighter jet, said, "We haven't given up, we've taken our injuries and we've made something out of it. Everyone of us is living our lives to the fullest." More
New NBC Sitcom Portrays Indiana Parks and Recreation Department
from The Associated Press via the Baltimore Sun
Coming off her final and triumphant "Saturday Night Live" season, Amy Poehler says she's looking forward to switching gears in a new NBC comedy. In the mockumentary-style comedy, Poehler plays a mid-level bureaucrat in an Indiana city parks and recreation department who's looking to get ahead. The new series isn't intended as a satire on national politics but instead offers a comedic take on how government works in an American town. The new show debuts in April. More
 The world's largest amateur sports and meeting facility is getting the world’s most trusted brand of artificial turf. FieldTurf has been selected by the National Sports Center (NSC) for the field in their indoor soccer facility. The United Soccer League’s (USL) Minnesota Thunder will train at the NSC, making the Thunder the 5th USL team to play and/or practice on FieldTurf. Half of the USL first division uses FieldTurf. More info
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California Mandates Life Vests at Wave Pools
from Aquatics International
New safety requirements now in place for California wave pools are likely to create new demand for life vests — and may set a precedent for the rest of the industry. Calif. SB 107 requires that operators provide free United States Coast Guard-approved Type II or Type III life vests to all children under 48 inches tall, nonswimmers and any else who requests one. More
Change in Field Surfaces
from the Forsyth County News
The drought was taking a toll on some Forsyth County, Ga., athletic fields and the cost to maintain them was a growing concern for county officials. The solution? Artificial grass for three county-run fields often used for football, lacrosse and soccer. More
California Cash Crunch Halts 4,000 Conservation Projects
from the San Francisco Chronicle
California's fiscal crisis has derailed 4,000 conservation projects across the state, from restoration of tidal marshes on San Francisco Bay to expansion of the coastal trail, and threatens major land acquisitions on the Sonoma, Big Sur and Mendocino coasts, state officials say. Facing a cash crunch, state officials notified 1,100 groups last month that they were losing $647 million in environmental grants that were tied to bond funds issued under voter-approved propositions. More
Good News for National Parks if Economic Recovery Package Passes
from the Examiner
When the House Democratic Leadership proposed its new economic recovery package last week, it contained some of the best news our national parks have had in years: $2.25 billion to move forward on "shovel-ready" projects that will address the enormous backlog of construction and restoration projects on the parks’ lengthy rosters.
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